Charge pumps are a kind of circuit for converting a voltage at an input node into a regulated voltage that is output at an output node, which is typically coupled to a load. Charge pumps enable designers to provide different voltages based on a single power supply voltage. For example, if a circuit needs an operating voltage of a first voltage level, e.g., 1.5 volts, but voltage power supply provides a different voltage level, e.g., −1.5 volts, then a charge pump may be implemented to transform the −1.5 volt voltage provided by the power supply to the 1.5 volts needed to operate the circuit.
However, the response time of conventional charge pumps are limited by the rate at which the capacitors of the charge pump are charged and discharged. Additionally, the timing circuitry that control the operation of conventional charge pumps are complex and require substantial area on a semiconductor substrate.